Waymo Aims for 1 Million Weekly Autonomous Rides by End of 2026
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 18 2026
0mins
Should l Buy GOOGL?
Source: NASDAQ.COM
- Autonomous Ride Target: Waymo aims to provide over 1 million paid autonomous rides per week by the end of 2026, representing a 150% increase from its current rate of 400,000 rides, which will significantly enhance its competitive position in the U.S. market.
- New Technology Launch: On February 12, Waymo unveiled its sixth-generation Waymo Driver, featuring a 17-megapixel high-resolution sensor and next-gen LiDAR technology, expected to improve vehicle performance in rain and snow while reducing operational costs, thereby increasing market appeal.
- Production Scale-Up: Waymo plans to scale production at its Phoenix factory with a goal of producing “tens of thousands” of autonomous vehicles annually to support its service expansion in six cities, including Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Phoenix, further solidifying its market leadership.
- Market Competition Analysis: While Tesla is also developing autonomous driving technology, Waymo has established a significant lead in the scale and market penetration of its robotaxi services, positioning it as the clear winner in the robotaxi race by 2026, which could positively impact Alphabet's stock price.
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Analyst Views on GOOGL
Wall Street analysts forecast GOOGL stock price to rise
33 Analyst Rating
26 Buy
7 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 297.390
Low
305.00
Averages
374.25
High
400.00
Current: 297.390
Low
305.00
Averages
374.25
High
400.00
About GOOGL
Alphabet Inc. is a holding company. The Company's segments include Google Services, Google Cloud, and Other Bets. The Google Services segment includes products and services such as ads, Android, Chrome, devices, Google Maps, Google Play, Search, and YouTube. The Google Cloud segment includes infrastructure and platform services, collaboration tools, and other services for enterprise customers. Its Other Bets segment is engaged in the sale of healthcare-related services and Internet services. Its Google Cloud provides enterprise-ready cloud services, including Google Cloud Platform and Google Workspace. Google Cloud Platform provides access to solutions such as artificial intelligence (AI) offerings, including its AI infrastructure, Vertex AI platform, and Gemini for Google Cloud; cybersecurity, and data and analytics. Google Workspace includes cloud-based communication and collaboration tools for enterprises, such as Calendar, Gmail, Docs, Drive, and Meet.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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See More
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